Advanced Physical Research

The widespread use of polymer films necessitates a comprehensive investigation of their electrophysical and mechanical properties, as well as the changes in these properties under the influence of external factors during operation. The effect of prolonged exposure to electrical discharges on the mechanical and electrical strength, as well as on the structure of the polymer composition developed by us (HPPE + 0.05 wt% PR), has been studied. Experimental results show that the inclusion of 0.05 wt% phenol–formaldehyde resin (PR) is optimal and provides greater resistance to the effects of electrical discharges compared to both the original LHPPE and HPPE containing other additive concentrations. Using IR spectrophotometry, the contribution of the additive to the stability of the electrophysical properties of HPPE during ionization aging under the influence of electrical discharges has been established. It was found that in the modified HPPE film sample, the optical density of IR absorption bands corresponding to terminal carbonyl groups is consistently lower than that of the corresponding bands in the unmodified sample.